Another One Rides the Bus
by debjessbexhan
Summary: Jessica, Deborah, Hannah, and Becca decide to take a trip to an amusement park. Things don't go the way they had hoped.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hannah**_

"You okay?" Becca questioned, taking me back to reality.

I nodded, not really sure how my voice would come out.

Becca turned her face away from me and looked back at Jessica and Deborah, who were sitting in the bus seat beside ours.

I had woken up this morning with a strange feeling that something bad was going to happen. Ignoring it, I had gotten ready anyway.

After a few more minutes of day dreaming, I tapped Becca on the shoulder. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Becca didn't look like she was paying attention to me at all, until she saw the frown on my face. "What is it?" she asked, now worried.

"Do you ever get this feeling that something bad is gonna happen?"

"No. But I saw that episode of Grey's Anatomy where Meredith thought something bad was going to happen and then she almost blew up. Why? Do you think someone on this bus is planning on blowing us up?" She smirked and then looked around at the people sitting in front of us.

"You can't go a day without referring to that show, you know."

"It's a sickness."

"It really is," I assured her, before we broke into a fit of giggles.

"I don't know how to describe it-" pausing, I looked around to make sure no one was listening. "-but I just have this _really _strong feeling that something really bad is going to happen."

"Jeez Louise, Debbie Downer. Lighten up, We're going to an amusement park. What could go wrong?"

* * *

_**Jessica**_

"City buses give me the hebejebes," Deborah murmured.

"We'll only be on it for 10 or 15 minutes," I reassured her.

In the corner of my eye I could see Becca turn to me. She smiled. "Are you excited to go on that new ride?"

"I am!" Deborah squealed, peering her head around me to look at her.

"Me too. I'm most excited for the funnel cake. I love funnel cake."

"Becca, you love all food," I blurted.

Her brow furrowed and anger overcame her. "Not mayonnaise. I _hate_ mayonnaise."

"I'll make sure to remind them to not put mayonnaise on your funnel cake," I sassed.

"Thank you, that's very kind." She smiled again before turning back to Hannah, who was looking out the window.

"She's miles away," Deborah noted.

"Probably misses her cat," I guessed.

Deborah picked up her bag that was sitting on the floor in front of her and put it on to her lap. She unzipped the front and started looking through it.

"What are you looking for?"

"My phone. I got this new game I wanna play to pass the time."

"Deb, it's in your pocket."

She stopped and dug her hand into her left pocket, and sure enough, pulled out her phone. I watched as she unlocked it and opened an app called "Ice Cream Jump."

"What is that?" I snorted.

"It's a game. You have to make the little ice cream thing jump on to the blocks. I bought a monocle and top hat for mine."

After watching her play for 2 minutes, and die 12 times, I patted her on the back. "You're not very good at staying alive."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: After writing the first chapter, I realized it would be very difficult to have each person's point of view on the same thing/scene/whatever you want to call it, so I'm gonna have each person's point of view, but the story will continue on. I'm not gonna have Deb's point for one part, and then Hannah's point for that part, and the Jess's, and so on. It would take me a long time. And also I'm too lazy. Maybe I should just give everyone their own chapter. Yes. I shall do that._

* * *

**_Deborah_**

"Are we there yet?" I groaned.

Jessica looked up at my from her book. "Does it look like we're there? Do you see any rides?"

My head quickly spun towards the window. "It's too dark. I can't see. Why did we have to leave at the butt crack of dawn, again?"

"The park opens at 8, and if we get there early, we'll be the first ones to go on the new ride," she said before glancing back down to her book.

To pass the time, I decided to study the people around me. I always feel bad for people watching, but at this point, what else am I supposed to do?

Surprisingly, there wasn't very many people on the bus this early. At the very front, an old couple sat together, hand in hand. The man had a new brown jacket, black pants, and fancy dress shoes. A black hat covered the little hair he had on his head. His face looked very kind. The wrinkles around his eyes and mouth suggested he did a lot of smiling. His wife had a black, knee-length pea-coat, and a blue dress, with black shoes on. Her shoulder length hair was curled and pulled back out of her face.

For a few seconds, I wondered where these two were going all dressed up at so early in the morning, until two woman three seats directly in front of me caught my attention. One woman had long, bleach blond hair that was kept up into a neat pony-tail. Her grey jacket clung perfectly to her body. I then, focused on the woman beside her. Brown hair cascaded down her shoulders and on to the black leather jacket she was wearing. I could only see the back of her head, but I had a feeling she was pretty. Suddenly, she turned around and caught me staring. Crap.

Embarrassed, I adverted my gaze to my phone that was still in my lap. I could feel the blood rush to my face and knew my cheeks were probably red.

"Is she still looking at me?" I whispered to Jessica while pretending to use my phone.

"Is who still looking at you?"

"The brunette girl at 12 o'clock."

Jessica gasped. "Oh my gosh. She's coming over here."

"What?" My head shot up, the phone dropping from my lap.

She chuckled and then went to pick my phone up off the ground. Brunette girl hadn't moved. I looked down at Jessica and lightly smacked her in the head.

"Rude," I growled.

* * *

**_Becca_**

The bus had come to another stop and 3 people got off. A flustered man in his mid-forties, wearing a big red coat, a black ski mask, and carrying an AK 47 mounted the steps of the bus. He ordered the bus driver to get up and move to the back.

If people were in a distant place before, they certainly weren't now. Hannah tensed up beside me. Jessica and Deborah exchanged worried glances. I could tell what everyone was thinking. _Is this really happening? _

Before I could react further, the man moved down the aisle towards us and two more men wearing ski masks hopped on the bus, guns in each of their hands. The bus driver, shocked, tried to reason with them. "Come on guys. I don't want any trouble. Let's just-" _Bang. _A single gunshot was all it took for me to hit the floor.

I heard a couple of people scream, but I didn't have the courage to look up and see who it was.

Hannah, who was sitting on the floor with me, appeared to be in shock. Finally, she managed to get out a sentence."Becca? What's going on?"

The man in the red coat walked past us to the very back of the bus and waited there. I tried to look over at Deborah and Jessica, but feared that if I made any sudden movements, he would notice me. I definitely didn't want him to notice me.

I could hear one of the men yell at the other. "Take the wheel!" he shouted. The bus started up again and after a few minutes, we pulled into a dark alley of some kind.

"Everyone stand up," the man behind us ordered. A white van backed up to the front door as soon as it opened.

I saw Deborah try to hide her phone as she stood up. Sadly, so did the man in the red coat. "Hey! You! Give me that." He ripped the phone from her trembling hands and threw it out of her open window. "All of you toss your phones out the window. And then move towards the door."

I tried to capture any details of the men, the vans, the location — anything to keep some thread of sanity or illusion of control.

The man who had driven the bus got up and pushed the old couple that had sat at the front through the front door. The woman cried out as he picked the bus driver's body up and threw him outside. "Get into the van," he commanded. The couple obliged, and stepped inside. Next, was the two women that sat near the front, then a man who looked to be in his 20's, and finally, the four of us.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Okay, so this is where I'm going to start giving each person their own chapter. Also, I'm gonna write it in the 3rd person. I think it just looks and sounds better. Also, it's less confusing to read. Alright. Here goes... Something._

* * *

_**Hannah**  
_

It was hard to tell how long they had been crammed into the extremely dark, and almost airless van. Hannah lost track of the time. She estimated they had driven for about 3 hours.

She was getting hungry, and from the sounds of the rumbling stomachs around her, everyone else was too. Deborah and Becca needed to find a bathroom, and the potty dances Hannah had seen them doing proved it needed to be very soon.

None of girls had said much during the trip. They were overcome with shock, and in denial. "_Why us?" _they'd frequently wonder.

When the van came to a halt, nobody knew what to expect. One of the kidnappers shouted out for the driver, and Hannah was the first one let out of the dark mobile enclosure.

She couldn't see where she was. The landscape was a wasteland. The kidnapper who had driven the van they were in told them to state their names, and then climb down a ladder sticking up out of the ground that appeared to lead down to a cabin.

Hannah looked back to her friends; all of them silently following the masked men. She pulled Becca close and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. Becca looked up at Hannah and gave her a sad smile. Behind them, Jessica and Deborah were also clung together with linked arms.

"Jess. You're going to have to let go so you can climb down the ladder," she heard Deborah whisper.

The boy who had been taken with them and introduced himself as Oliver, was the first down the ladder. For a short time on the bus ride, he had tried to calm the four girls down. Once he had succeeded, he stayed silent.

The two women were next. They had been as kind as the boy, offering words of comfort, and telling them everything was going to be okay. The brunette, Sarah, and the blond, Lily, were on their way to work before the men with guns decided to change their plans.

Finally, it was Hannah's turn. Slowly, she made her way down, until she was at the bottom. There were two more men she had never seen waiting in front of the cabin. The men were wearing ski masks, like the others, but these two were different. They looked bigger.

The men waited for everyone to climb down the ladder before they spoke. "You have nothing to fear from us," the tallest one said.

Hannah almost laughed. _Sure. You kidnap us, and hold guns on us, but we have 'nothing to fear.' Bullshit._

Looking up to the cabin in front of her, she almost gasped. If they were here on different circumstances, she probably would have thought the cabin was cool, but now, it was just creepy.

The men told them to line up in front of the door, and wrapped rope around each of their wrists, connecting the 9 of them together. Then, they placed a fabric bag over each of their heads, and shoved them through the front door.

The cool air still filtered through the tiny fibers of the fabric and reached Hannah's nose. She could smell the scent of a distant campfire. Many of the things she smelt were new to her, doing little in helping her to gather her bearings.

The excess rope dangling in front of her felt like an owner-less leash.

"You can lead," a deep voice said, his hands firmly placed on Hannah's shoulders and she tried to shake them off.

Slowly, someone grabbed the rope and began to gently tug it, leading them towards the closed in fortress. She stumbled a little on the uneven ground, thankful she was wearing boots, but not so thankful someone was standing so close beside her.

"Nice and easy," the deep voice purred from beside her. It sent chills down her spine.

Hannah hated not being able to see where her friends were. She wished more than anything that they would take the sack from her head so that she could see where they were heading. She knew it was a tactic, a strategy to keep them off guard, at a disadvantage, unable to get a layout of the place they were being led to.

She heard a door open, and they was carefully guided up a couple of steps. The ground became more even, a floor. She could hear voices, lots of voices. The voices were in the distance but she could still tell they were mixed; some were men, and some were women.

_Where am I?_

The walk seemed long and arduous. Hannah wasn't sure if this was truly the case, or if it was just her stressed, fuzzy mind making it seem so long.

"Alright be careful. This is where it gets a little treacherous," the man leading them said after a few more minutes of walking had passed.

"No shit," the deep voice called back.

"And…step down." He told her quietly. Tentatively, they did as they were told. Hannah's foot felt for the step.

"Good. And again…" the man encouraged her, slowly guiding her down the staircase.

Hannah breathed heavy, fearful that she would accidentally take a wrong step and be sent tumbling. Finally, after it felt like she had gone down about twenty stairs, her foot hit the firm surface of a hardwood floor.

"Come on, let's go." The second man tugged impatiently at the rope, causing Hannah to lurch forward unexpectedly.

They walked in a straight line for about a hundred paces, turned left, walked another fifty paces, and finally turned left, slowly walking another ten steps.

"We're here." The deep voice told them.

Hannah tried not to shudder, her mind trying to figure out where _here _was. The room smelt sweet, scented a lot like flowers. Besides that, she had nothing to work with. She felt the rope drop as the second man released it.

Hannah attempted to calm herself, but she felt her heart rate racing. She didn't want to show it, but she was scared. Oh so scared. She didn't know who these men were that had taken them, or what they wanted. All she did know was that they had gone through some trouble to bring them here, which meant they weren't going to let them go very easily. They were here for a reason, she just didn't know for what.

Suddenly the noise around them grew. Three sets of footsteps came clomping down the hallway they had just been led down. She knew they were coming for them. Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to put on her bravest face as she prepared for what she was about to face. She didn't know what it was, but she only hoped she would stay strong until someone came to rescue them.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T POSTED, YOU GUYS. SCHOOL SUCKS...but now it's over, so I will continue with this story. I don't know if I will be able to do "daily updates," but I shall try._

* * *

_**Jessica**_

Slowly and gently, the case was pulled from her head, wisps of hair sticking straight up towards the pillowcase as a result of static. Jessica's eyes struggled to adjust to the brightness of the room.

Finally, her eyes began to roam the room, frantically taking in her surroundings through the brown curtain of hair that had fallen into her face. Jessica's eyes paused on the four men standing in front of her, lingering as she sized them up. They had taken off their masks. "_That's brave_," she thought." One of them took a couple of steps towards them, preparing to speak.

The man was an average height, maybe six feet. He was in good shape, and his tanned skin complemented his brown eyes and short dark hair well. He couldn't be older than thirty-three, and the tone of his skin told her he may be at least part Mexican. He was handsome, but stood confidently, imposing almost. He was dressed nicely; he had a sense of style. Jessica wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this man.

He smiled, his brown eyes looking around to the people he had kidnapped. "It's nice to meet you all. First off, I'd like to start by informing you that running or fighting will not end well. There are armed men everywhere, and you will be shot before you get anywhere."

Jessica stared back at him, scared, but she tried to hide the fear with her defiant look.

Considering her words carefully as best she could, she cleared her throat.

"Why are we here?" She asked quietly, her mouth very dry.

The man turned his wondering eyes to look at her, and smiled again.

"You'll find that out soon enough…for now, we need to get the introductions out of the way." He replied.

"Tom, get these folks some water, will you?" He called to one of his men, who immediately obeyed, leaving the room.

Jessica turned, craning her neck in an attempt to see who was behind her.

"There's nothing back there for you, keep those pretty blues looking this way." A moment later Tom was back in the room with a case of water bottles, stepping forward and giving it to the man who appeared to be in charge.

"Thank you Tom. Men, we are all set here. I am very pleased with your results, as I knew I would be," he praised them.

The three men nodded, Tom's eyes glancing back one last time at the group of them. Slowly, he followed the other two out of the room, leaving them alone with this man.

Carefully, he placed the case down on the floor next to him and retrieved a single water bottle from it. He walked forward and opened the water bottle, raising it to Jessica's lips.

"Here, take a sip. I'm sure you must be incredibly thirsty after everything that's transpired." He offered.

Jessica hesitated for a moment for and looked to her friends. Becca seemed to be looking around the room, probably for an escape route. Deborah and Hannah watched the man with suspicious looks. Jessica nodded and opened her mouth to accept the cold liquid. The water trickled down her dry, raw throat, bringing a refreshing coolness to her senses and sparking her from her haze just a little.

Once the bottle was empty the man pulled it away from her mouth and placed it on the floor next to the case.

"My name is Oliver." He smiled as he introduced himself to her.

"What are you going to do with us?" Jessica heard Deborah ask suspiciously.

"That's a good question, Deborah," he smirked before turning his body to face her.

Jessica could feel her friend stiffen beside her at the mention of her name.

"How do you know my name? Deborah gasped.

"There are _a lot_ of things I know about you. Each of you."

"But how…we've never met…" Sarah, who had been quietly standing behind Jessica, questioned.

"Let's just say I don't know you _well_, not yet anyway. But I have enough information to start a conversation with each of you. Besides, there will be plenty of time to get to know each other."

"Someone will save us." Becca stared into his eyes confidently.

Oliver stepped towards her.

"You may think that _Becca_, but I have taken some of the necessary precautions to ensure that doesn't happen. I went through a lot of trouble to bring you here. I won't give you up easily." He said, his voice growing sterner.

Jessica tried not shiver at his words or from the dark look that had suddenly overcome his face.

"You will be here for as long as it takes, if I have anything to say about it."

Grabbing the long rope that was still attached to her wrists, Oliver picked it up and tossed it to the man who had apparently entered the room unnoticed.

"You know where to take them, don't you John? I have a few things to attend to before the night is through." He said, motioning the other man to lead them away.

John began pulling the rope, leading them out of the room by their wrists.

Oliver watched as they left; a grin on his face the whole time.

* * *

Jessica and the others were led down the hallway by the man named John. She did everything she could to get the layout of the building she was in. She looked into rooms as she passed by open doors and climbed stairs, looked out the windows towards the outside where her freedom awaited; anything that could help her when the opportunity to escape presented itself.

While she walked down the halls Jessica realized something. She was in what appeared to be a large compound made up of multiple buildings. The area was well lit, even in the pitch black of the late night.

There were fewer rooms the closer they got, and many of those rooms appeared to be empty or hardly used. He wanted to keep them secluded.

They slowed as they reached the corner of the building, approaching the door to the room that could quite possibly turn into their own personal hell. John turned the knob and led them in. Without saying anything, he closed the door behind them, locking it and leaving them to themselves. This surprised her. Obviously he wasn't too concerned with them getting into trouble or going too far.

She grabbed Hannah and Deborah's hands, and turned from the door to glance over the room. She nearly gasped at what she saw. The room was large, spacious and swanky. It had a bit of everything: 3 couches, comfy chairs, a TV, a table, a computer, a desk, and a large mirror in the centre of the back wall.

She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, curse. She was so frustrated, she felt so helpless. Never had she felt quite like this, so not in control, so desperate. At the mercy of someone she didn't even know. This wasn't good. This was her worst nightmare.

* * *

_A/N: I was eating poutine while I wrote this, F.Y.I. My cat is running around the house. I think she's lost her marbles. Literally. She has a couple of marbles that she plays with and I don't think she can find them._


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Meow._

* * *

_Hours Later_

**_Deborah_**

"Why do you think they separated us?" Deborah asked, looking up at Sarah.

"I'm not sure, exactly, but I don't like it at all." Sarah frowned, watching as Deborah got up from the couch they had been sitting on.

Curiosity got the best of her, and carefully she approached the door that had been hiding near the corner of the room, and turned the knob. Turning on the light, she found it to be a personal bathroom. It was rather large for a single bathroom, and had all the essential amenities. She looked everything over carefully, noting there wasn't anything sharp such as a razor, and that all of the drawers needed a key to get into them. These guys were smart. They knew how to make everything look modern and normal, and yet the little things gave the message that they truly were the ones in control.

She could hear the conversation continue from the bathroom. "But why separate us into groups of three? Where are Hannah and Becca? Where's Lily?"

"I wish I knew the answer to these questions, but I don't. I'm sorry," she heard Sarah utter.

Deborah left the bathroom behind, moving about the room, walking in circles until Jessica spoke from one of the comfy chairs. "Do you think we'll ever get out of here?" Her voice was hopeful.

Sarah smiled sadly at her. "Of course we will, sweetie." She motioned for Jessica to sit next to her on the couch, and Jessica happily obliged.

Deborah stopped circling the room and went back into the bathroom. Approaching the sink, she turned the water on and forced her sore wrists under it, slickening her skin and soaking the rope. While it did nothing to weaken the rope despite her efforts, it did refresh her chaffed skin a bit.

After a moment, Deborah removed her hands and shook them dry, returning to the large main room. She walked towards the couch Jessica and Sarah were on and sat down beside them.

Sarah pulled them close, letting their heads rest on her shoulders. "We are going to make it out of here. I can feel it."

Deborah yawned and stretched her arms out. "I wonder what time it is," she thought out loud.

"Time for bed." Jessica got up and walked towards the table where a pile of blankets were laying. She picked them up and brought them back to the couch, covering the two women before sitting back down and covering herself.

Deborah tried to imagine what they would be doing if they weren't being held captive in this stupid place. Would they still be at the amusement park? Would they have gone home to have a movie marathon? _Home_. She frowned at the thought of this word. For all she knew, today could be her last. She might never get to see her home again. Or her family. Her cat. Her computer.

Without meaning to, she snuggled in closer to Sarah and let out a deep breath. It was strange how close they felt, even though they had only known each other for a few hours. Deborah felt like she had known Sarah her entire life.

"Would you like me to sing you something? It might put you to sleep," Sarah suggested.

Both, Deborah and Jessica nodded enthusiastically. Sarah looked down at them and spoke softly. "My mother used to sing me a lullaby every night before I went to sleep as a child. I know you aren't children, but it might still be comforting."

"I love lullabies," Deborah assured.

"Me too," Jessica added.

Sarah smiled at the two of them. "Very well then."

As Sarah sang, Deborah could feel her eyes start to grow heavy. She urged them to stay open, wanting to hear more of Sarah's beautiful voice. It was like listening to an angel sing, and she didn't want her to stop. Sadly, the battle between Deborah and her eyelids was not one she could win, and soon, sleep overtook her.

* * *

Deborah cracked her eye open just a bit, looking around the room so she could venture a guess as to what time it was. The lack of windows in the room prevented her from being able to guess the time. She quickly closed her eye shut again.

She guessed she had slept six, maybe seven hours. If that were true, then she had slept as well as she had in a while. She was usually lucky if she got close to six hours.

Suddenly, the door was unlocked and flung open. "Get_ up_!" She heard the person behind it yell.

Deborah was forced to stand up from the couch. Half awake, she leaned on Sarah, who was standing beside her for support. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. Standing by the door, holding a tray, was Tom. He placed the tray onto the coffee table that was sitting next to the couch and gave them a stern look before turning and exiting the room.

They heard the door lock. Deborah's eyes immediately looked to the spread on the table, her stomach growling. There were eggs, toast, bacon, muffins, orange juice and water, set out on a tray with a few plates and forks nearby.

"I wish they'd take these annoying ropes off of our hands," Jessica mumbled, breaking the silence. She looked down at her chaffed wrists and tried not to wince.

Sarah walked towards the tray and grabbed a piece of toast, shoving it in her mouth. "I never thought I'd be this happy to see food."

The three of them ate the food until it was completely gone, and their stomachs were completely full.

* * *

_A/N: It's shorter, I'm sorry, but you can blame Hannah for rushing me, okay._


	6. Chapter 6

**_Becca_**

"You know there's three of us here right? Could you please share the blanket, love bugs?" Becca impatiently got up from one side of the couch and moved closer to Lily and Hannah, yanking the blanket so that it covered all three of the girls.

Lily, sitting at the end of the couch, shifted slightly and moved closer to Hannah and Becca. After feeling Hannah shake beside her, Lily pulled Hannah closer, before wrapping her arms around her. "You cold, honey?"

"Yes! It must be negative ten degrees in here." She grabbed onto Lily's arms and leaned back onto her, resting her head on Lily's shoulder.

Becca rolled her eyes. "Guys, you've known each other for less than a day. Am I the only one who thinks this is weird?"

"Just because you didn't feel an immediate connection with someone, doesn't mean you need to be sassy," Hannah shot back.

"You do realize that you only got the chance to 'connect' because _we were kidnapped_, right?"

Lily shook her head. "I think we should stay positive. It hasn't been that bad so far. I mean, what could they possibly want from us?"

Becca scoffed and looked down at the blanket, playing with the corner of it. "We watched a bunch of guys shoot our bus driver, tie up our arms, put a bag over our head, and then separate us into different rooms without knowing the explanation for any of it, but yeah, it hasn't been that bad."

"You're such a pessimist." Hannah frowned and shook her head at her friend.

"No, I'm a realist. I'm keeping it real. I watch a lot of crime shows guys, and it usually doesn't end well for the people who are kidnapped. One of them usually dies. Wait! What if this is a government experiment." Becca sat up straighter as her excitement grew, almost falling off of the couch before Hannah stopped her and pulled her back. "What if they are studying us. This whole thing could be a test."

"A realist, huh?" Lily giggled.

"How long do you think we've been in this - crap." Hannah stood up and ran towards the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Becca and Lily looked to each other, exchanging worried glances. "What was that about?" Becca asked.

"Not sure," Lily replied, before standing up and walking towards the bathroom door. Becca quickly followed. Lily leaned her head on the door, and lightly knocked on it. "Hannah? You alright?" She questioned, trying to hear through the door.

"I..." They heard her quietly reply from inside the bathroom.

"Can we come in?" Becca reached for the door handle and opened it before she could answer. "Woah," she mumbled, seeing Hannah sitting on the floor in front of the toilet.

Hannah quickly stood up and flushed, wiping her forehead with her arm. She walked towards the sink and washed her hands. She turned to look at the two girls waiting in the door frame.

"I think I'm pregnant." Hannah frowned and crossed her arms in front of her stomach.

"Hannah. You've never even had sex." Becca walked towards the bathroom cupboards and opened them, searching for a tea-towel. When she found one, she walked back towards the sink and put it under the tap, turning on the cold water. She squeezed the excess water from the towel and looked back to Hannah, raising her arm to put the towel on her forehead.

"It might be food poisoning from the food we had earlier," Lily suggested. "I told you it looked a bit odd."

"Yeah, probably. I think I should sit down." She thanked Becca for the cloth and held it on her forehead while they walked back into the main room.

Lily and Becca helped her sit back down onto the couch and covered her with the blanket. The three of them slowly fell asleep.

* * *

_Knowing she didn't have any time to waste, Becca took a couple quick steps to her right. She hadn't gotten more than maybe ten feet from the staircase, when the voice in the back of her head began to scream at her that she was going the wrong way. She stopped short, the strain from the sudden movement causing pain to shoot even more resoundingly from her arm that had been broken._

_Grimacing, she looked back the way she had come. From her spot in the hallway, she could make out the boots, then the legs as they trampled down the stairs, coming perilously close to the bottom. She was going to be in his sight-line in mere seconds; there was no way she could go back and make a run in the other direction without Oliver easily catching up to her._

_Cursing herself for the fact that she had made a quick decision without thinking her actions through, Becca turned and continued hurriedly down the original path she had chosen, knowing it was her only option. As she raced down the long hall, she could hear the heavy footfalls behind her, alerting her to the fact that Oliver must've at least caught a glimpse of her. He was still a ways back, but Becca could tell that he was closing the distance on her._

_Becca made a sharp, abrupt turn down the hallway to her left when she reached another split. She told herself not to panic, reminding herself to remain calm even though every hall looked very much like the previous one she had traversed. It was like the interior of the compound was nothing but one big, confusing maze._

_Rounding another corner and being met by yet another straightaway, Becca gasped for air even if the footsteps behind her didn't seem to be as loud as they had been seconds earlier. Halfway down this hallway she noticed an opening. Moving to it with lightening speed, she stopped herself when she noticed the staircase._

_It was poorly lit, the wood old and rugged, suggesting it led to some sort of basement. Becca knew this was out of the question. The last thing she wanted was to be trapped underground. As frustrating as it was being in the maze she found herself in, at least it provided a chance of finding an exit or safe harbor somewhere. The basement would merely trap her in darkness, ending her chances of escape._

_Becca whipped her head around, glancing frantically around her. She couldn't stay in the middle of this hallway, completely vulnerable, forever. She could hear a commotion, something that sounded like shouting, coming from the untraveled path in front of her, just around the corner. Turning instinctively to head back the way she had come, she could again hear the familiar heavy footsteps that belonged to Oliver. She was trapped._

_Becca struggled to breathe, feeling as though her lungs were shrinking and collapsing in upon themselves. She felt on the verge of a panic attack. She had to keep her composure; it wouldn't do her any good if she didn't. Now she just had to make what could prove to be one of the biggest decisions of her life. Which way to go, what risk to take._

_Just as Becca was about to make her final decision, the feel of a hand on her shoulder nearly caused her to jump out of her skin. Her heart plunged and her blood turned to ice as the thought immediately entered her brain that she had wasted too much time and now Oliver had caught up to her._

Becca shot straight up from where she was sleeping, her heart racing out of her chest. "_It was just a dream_," she thought. "_Go back to sleep_."

Hearing the bathroom door open, she looked up. Hannah quietly walked out, a garbage bin in hand.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked, noticing the sweat on Becca's forehead and her alarmingly quick breathing. She walked towards the couch and set the bin down beside it, taking a seat next to Lily who was fast asleep.

"Bad dream," she answered before pulling some of the blanket up to cover her. "You feeling any better?"

"Nah," she shook her head.

Becca quickly realized they were going to be in for a long night.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Merry Christmas Eve's Eve!_**  
**

* * *

**_Jessica_**

Jessica narrowed her eyes at Oliver as he opened and strode through the door to their room. _"He's armed, so trying to overpower him is out of the question_," she though.

Protectively, she stood up and went in front of Sarah and Deborah, who were still on the couch. Seeing her stand, they immediately followed. Jessica had always been the protective type. If she had anything to say about it, no one was going to touch her friends.

Oliver shut the door behind him, and appeared to be in no hurry to speak. Jessica decided it would be best to keep her mouth shut as well, and take a moment to study him. At first glance, he appeared to be an average, regular guy; someone you'd never expect to kidnap a bus load of people and keep them hostage at gun point.

He circled them several times, like a tiger preparing a strategy of attack. Jessica matched him move for move, not once letting him out of her sight, and not once letting him near Deborah or Sarah.

Apparently, he found something about her demeanor amusing, because he began to chuckle callously.

"What?" Jessica ground out between her clenched teeth, not amused in the slightest. This only caused the man to laugh more.

He sneered deprecatingly, "Just watching your little puppy guard act. _Priceless."_

"Why the hell do you have us here?" A strong voice demanded to know from behind her, taking Jessica by surprise. Sarah traded her backseat position for one directly beside her, and is wore a look that would surely make _anyone _cower.

His smirk grew larger. Their captor didn't quite agree.

"That is for me to know, and for you to find out." He let out a dark chuckle, "if you're around long enough."

Jessica swallowed hard. She turned around to see Deborah visibly shrink under his menacing gaze, but all three of them remained standing tall. _"This bastard's not getting the satisfaction of making us squirm."_ Jessica thought.

"Well, since it seems none of you are feeling very talkative at the moment, I'll be going. I just wanted to make sure you were nice and comfy. Any complaints about your accommodations?"

If Jessica had clenched her teeth any tighter, she'd have broke them. She stepped forward, marginally, but a wave of his gun, stopped her dead in her tracks._ "I guess it'd be pretty damn hard to get home if I was dead."_

"Well, it's been a pleasure, ladies. Tom will be bringing by lunch shortly, so I'll be going," Oliver purrs. Jessica bites back bile as he grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on it. _  
_

With another _click_, the door was shut, and the three of them let out a ragged breath. Jessica turned to Sarah and Deborah, and she could see them physically relax.

Without thought or hesitation, Sarah pulled the the two of them into her arms and stroked their hair soothingly. They remained like that for several minutes, trying desperately to find comfort in the midst of such a seemingly hopeless situation.

Soon, the three of them gathered themselves, and pulled out of the embrace. When their eyes lock, Jessica can still see fear, but also recognized gratitude and trust.

"Being held hostage together makes for quick friends, huh?" Jessica laughed nervously.

* * *

Jessica sat in silence as Deborah and Sarah napped, the only sound in the room being their soft snoring. Normally she didn't care much for snoring, but the sound was almost soothing, reminding her she was not alone.

As Oliver had promised, Tom brought them a meal about an hour ago that had consisted of three peanut butter and jam sandwiches, water, and carrots.

With her friends unconscious and unable to keep her mind off of more serious matters, Jessica's thoughts go everywhere. It was terrifying not to know where they were, or why they were there, or how long they'd be there. No matter how she looked at the situation, it didn't add up. _"You'd think I'd at least have an idea as to why I may never see my family or friends again, may never finish school, or get a job in the film industry, or actually live."_

Suddenly she realized she was crying because her entire body was shaking and her breathing was short and shallow. _"Calm, Jess. Calm down; you have to stay strong."_

Before she know it, a pair of toned arms wrapped around her, and Sarah's whispered soothing words into her ear. Her eyes fluttered shut, and finally, she allowed herself to fall apart in her embrace.

She didn't tell her everything was going to be okay - everything's certainly not _okay_ - but in her arms, it was easy to trick herself into believing they will be, and soon, her breathing returned to normal.

"Better?" she asked.

Jessica nodded slowly. "Thank you," she whisper hoarsely.

Sarah pushed a lock of hair out of Jessica eyes, leaving a trail of warmth where her fingers brushed against her skin. A small smile appeared on her lips as Jessica pulled away.

A few moments of silence passed before either of them did or said anything. She didn't want to risk her falling asleep again, so she decided that it was as good of a time as any to get to know her new friend.

"You should tell me about yourself," Jessica said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Are you sure you want to do that? In a situation like this?" Her voice is emotionless, distant. _"She doesn't think we're going to make it out of this alive."_

"Look, Sarah. We're stuck here. I'm _not _sure I want to do that; I'm not sure of _anything _anymore. But you know what I am sure of? I'm sure of the fact that if I'm not distracted this second, my mind will go to all of those scary, dark places that make people go insane. So... Yeah. I think this is a pretty safe alternative." Jessica's nostrils flared and her chest heaved while she finished her rant. She hadn't meant to snap, to say all of that, but she couldn't do this alone.

Sarah's eyes were unreadable for a moment, but then they softened The fear that's been there since the moment she first looked into them is mixed with a new fire that Jessica recognized to be determination.

They were in this together.

No words were said, and none need to be. They both know the severity of this situation, and that despite the fact that hours ago, they were strangers, they are now all they had.

Instead of stating the obvious, she choose to return to her earlier request. "What would you like to know about me, Jessica?"

"Everything. Anything," Jessica scooted closer to her.

Sarah smiled, her dimples popping. "I'm sorry, I left my autobiography at home," she teased at the vagueness of Jessica's request, "but if you ask me some specific questions, I'd be happy to answer."

Jessica rolled her eyes playfully. "Okay, smarty pants, let's start out with something easy. Where are you from?"

Sarah laughed lightly. "I was born in Tampa, Florida, but I grew up in NYC."

"How did you end up in Toronto?"

"I'm doing a movie here with my friend Lily. Well, we _were_ doing a movie. We're actresses."

Sarah's gaze had drifted away from Jessica as she spoke, her mind in some far off place that only she had access to. Jessica said nothing for a few minutes, taking in and processing the information she'd just been given, and just allowing her to enjoy her escape - however temporary it was.

Sarah shook her head and turned her attention back to Jessica. With a small smile, she said, "Okay, my turn. Where did _you _grow up?"

"Here," I laugh. "Toronto. I'm going to school here, right now. U of T."

"That's awesome!" She boasted.

Her child-like excitement made Jessica laugh, making Deborah stir.

Sarah slapped a hand over her mouth, and they were both quiet for the next five minutes.

"Do you think they're looking for us?" Jessica asks, moving to pick up the cup of water she had gotten at lunchtime.

"I'm sure they've been looking for us for hours now, Jess. You just watch; we'll be out of here in no time," she assured her.

Jessica nodded in agreement to her statement, and prays that she's right.

* * *

_A/N: They appear to be getting longer and longer. Deb don't hate me for not writing you in this as much, okay? Don't worry, you'll get your own chapter that has tONS of you. At least you don't have food poisoning right? ;) Jess I'm gonna assume you're from Toronto, or at least the you in this story is. We aren't going to stay in these rooms forever, so do not fret. _


End file.
